To Be Believable, You Must Tell the Truth

One of the biggest challenges any of us can face is simply to be believed.

We need to be believable for our significant others, our friends, our bosses, our coworkers, and our clients. As a matter of fact, the scenarios that would require the need to be believed are almost endless.

The repercussions of not being able to convince others that you are to be believed can derail not just a career, but also a life. The struggle can be mighty, but one of the most effective solutions is right there in front of us. As a matter of fact, this particular solution could not be easier… or at times, more elusive. You see, the easiest way to be believable is to tell the truth.

To be believable, you must tell the truth.

Take a moment, step back, and think about what you just read. Again, the easiest way to be believable is to tell the truth. After all, the only person who knows if you are, or are not, telling the truth… is you.

If you don’t truly believe in what you are saying, it’s not the words that will betray you; it’s the tune. If you aren’t speaking the truth, it would be as if you were playing a musical instrument and the notes would be slightly flat. When you aren’t speaking the truth, the facial expressions accompanying those words would be slightly forced. The rest of your nonverbal cues would be slightly out of rhythm. The harder you work to unnaturally adjust these telltale signs of a lack of believability, that more obvious your disingenuous delivery becomes.

This holds true when you are looking for someone to believe in an idea, a product, or even in you as a person. If you believe it, your tune will support it. Even those overrated words we cling to will be more effortlessly available. Mark Twain once said: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

That means if you feel the company, product or idea you represent isn’t what it should be, focus your time and energy towards a solution until it is. If you feel you aren’t what you should be, focus your time and energy towards a solution until you are. I don’t make these statements lightly and understand finding a “solution” can be complex. However, sometimes half the battle is leaving the security of familiarity, pursuing change, and seeking a solution that is often well overdue. Once you do, the truth will be on your side, and your credibility will be right there with it.

It isn’t nearly as difficult to ask someone to believe you when you believe you.

You don’t have to overthink this, or overact, or even act at all. For that brief instant, you simply have to tell the truth, and you will easily connect the words with the tune. In doing so, you’ll move one step closer to conveying the authentic sound you are seeking to create. Those you are communicating with won’t just hear your words; they’ll feel them too.